A British man who died in a rock climbing accident in Yosemite National Park in the US was from Camden.

Felix Kiernan, 28, who lived in Dartmouth Park, was climbing on the East Buttress of El Capitan, a popular climbing route in Yosemite Valley, when he was struck by a rock at around 2pm local time on Sunday, the National Park Service said.

Mr Kiernan, a former University of Manchester student, was about 600 feet up the climbing route when a loose block was dislodged.

The block, estimated to be one foot by two feet, fell approximately 150 feet before striking Mr Kiernan and causing fatal injuries, according to the National Park Service.

A party climbing just below Mr Kiernan immediately called the Yosemite Emergency Communication Centre and reported the incident.

Yosemite Park Rangers and Yosemite Search and Rescue workers were sent to El Capitan where they began climbing the route to reach the climbers.

Park Rangers reached Mr Kiernan around 4pm and he was pronounced dead.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware of the death of a British national and we are providing consular assistance to the family.”

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